The celebration of Juneteenth is a recognition of the resiliency of the Black Community and an honoring of the sacrifices made by the ancestors of Black Americans. During this period of renewed movement for Black Lives, Juneteenth is a day that will remind us that we still have work to do, that America will never truly be free until all lives, especially the lives of Black folks, are valued, validated, and loved.
Juneteenth commemorates the ending of systematic slavery in the United States. It was on January 1, 1863, two years into the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect freeing all slaves in any slave holding state. This proclamation was most effective for areas in the South with strong Union influence. It took much longer for Confederate heavy states to honor the proclamation. Texas was one of these states. It wasn’t until June 19th, 1865, two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation that Union Major General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas to declare that the war was over, the Union had won, and that slavery was now illegal. The last slaves remaining in the area celebrated their freedom and began the long road of building a life beyond slavery. The day eventually became known as Juneteenth and regarded as Independence Day for American people of African and slave descent.
Join Kashi Atlanta Ashram and Bhumisparsha for a day of events celebrating Juneteenth by continuing to practice spiritual liberation while we continue working towards social liberation. Each event will be lead by Black teachers from the Kashi and Bhumisparsha communities. All events are open to everyone unless otherwise stated. The day will culminate in an evening panel followed by a sacred feast practice and dance party.
For full schedule and joining instructions, please visit: https://kashiatlanta.org/juneteenth/. All times below are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Day Schedule
8-9:00AM - Opening Ancestor Fire Puja
9:30-10:30AM - Classical Yoga Class
11-12:00PM - Individual Meditation Practice and Discussion
12-1:00PM - Kashi Atlanta Black Women's Yoga Collective
1:30-2:15PM - Meditation Sit
3:00-4:00PM - Restorative Yoga
4:00-5:15PM - People of African Descent Gathering
4:00-5:15PM - Addressing Whiteness with White People Gathering
5:30-6:15PM - Black Liberation Poetry Reading
6:30-8:30PM - Panel: Talking Black Liberation: Exploring Both Social and Ultimate Liberation in a Black Body.
8:30-10:00PM - Ganachakra and Dance Party